I groggily open my eyes. In front of me are the glass double doors, baring the submerged city outside.

  Am I still in the reception hall? Last I remember, I was chatting with Ike some time ago. Did I fall asleep while we were talking?

  A yawn escapes my lips.

  “Good morning.”

  I stiffen. The voice echoes into the hall, I feel it rumble through the shoulder I am resting on. My eyes widen at the realization, and I slowly raise my head, coming face to face with Ike. He raises one corner of his lips into a half-smile.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  My mouth falls open, and for a long time, all I can do is stupidly stare at him.

  “I-I, I fell asleep on you… while we were talking? I… I apologise.” I stammer while shifting away.

  “Not at all,” he says. “We fell silent after a while, before you drifted off. I did not mind at all. In fact… I enjoyed it very much.”

  My heart almost stops when those last words fall off his lips. I look up at him, and I am pinned down by the intensity of his gaze.

  “You, you sure enjoy teasing me,” I laugh, but is sounds forced and awkward.

  “Do I?” He leans in, covering the distance between us in an instant. He raises his hand slowly, and it lands on my cheek, gently caressing it, all while looking straight into my eyes. My heart beats so hard it threatens to rip out of my chest the closer his face gets to my face.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  The words spill out before I even understand what I am saying. I spring up and beeline to the elevator without waiting for a response.

  When I step out, it is to lock myself in the Warden’s hall and collapse on the floor. I curl into a ball and bury my face in my knees.

  For several minutes, the world is drowned by the sound of my heavy heartbeat, warmth rises on my face.

  This… this is the second time, isn’t it?

  I had been wandering, that time in the kitchen, whether I had misunderstood what had happened. That maybe, maybe I was imagining things that were not really there.

  Then he started getting distant with me, acting like nothing had happened… and I persuaded myself that it was nothing. I was even happy. It was for the best, it made things easier, and I did not need to think about it anymore.

  And when we talked last night—when the initial awkwardness dissipated—it was great, it was normal, everything was fine.

  But he had to do it again, didn’t he?

  He was about to kiss me…

  Does it mean that he fancies me? Does he like me in a romantic way, or is it just a fling?

  …And what of me?

  I had never seen him in any special way before at first. I enjoyed his company, yes, but nothing more… maybe I saw him as a good friend. It was later that I started seeing him differently, but I forced myself not to dwell on those thoughts. Yet recollecting his actions last time, and now…

  My face burns from the rising heat, and I squirm on the cold floor.

  Should I have let him?

  I have not kissed someone in a long, long time. Maybe I should have let him. I also think I would have liked it. But I panicked and ran away like a fool.

  I don’t suppose I could go back and pick up where we left off? I want to hit myself for being so stupid. Skies, I’m so stupid.

  I sigh.

  What am I thinking? Of course it would have been wrong to kiss him, just for the sake of it. At least not when I am so emotionally undecided.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  If we really share the same feelings…

  But then what? How do we go on from there?

  I hardly know him, and a few hours of conversation is not nearly enough to scratch the surface. Do I really want to be romantically involved with anyone?

  No, this is not the time.

  I… I should discuss with him. Make things clear between us.

  I groan.

  This is too much for me. I can’t—I don’t want to deal with this, on top of everything else that is happening.

  But these feelings… they make me excited and nervous all at once. It feels similar to how I felt in the past, but so different too.

  I sigh.

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Vyvy, are you inside?” someone knocks on the door. It soon opens, and Ewa steps in. “Why are you sleeping on the floor?”

  “N-no, I… I needed to cool down.” I say, straightening up.

  She presses her hand to my forehead. “Humm… You are slightly warmer, but it is not a fever.”

  “I am fine.”

  She gives me a side glance. “Did something happen, Vyvy?”

  The question catches off-guard more than it should. I stand up and walk up to desk behind me, where the medallions are crafted are neatly stacked. I make an act of studying the ensemble of glyphs lining the desk, searching for… I don’t know.

  “Vyswe’eyaga?” her voice is insistent, “You are acting very oddly… Are you alright?”

  “Mmhmm…”

  Her footsteps resound; she is approaching me and comes to a halt only when just a few centimetres from me. She leans down to see my face, and I take a step back.

  She raises an eyebrow. “Vyvy?”

  “What?”

  We stare at each other for a second, then she sighs. “Alright, I won’t push any further.”

  She steps back, and when I turn around, she is already at the door. “The others have congregated on the first floor,” she says, “to discuss the next step to take. Let’s go.”

  We ride the elevator in silence. And when we step into the reception hall, everyone is already there. It takes an unimaginable amount of effort not to directly look at Ike… but I am still aware of him, leaning against the counter. His eyes closed, and a perfectly calm demeanour… Like nothing ever happened.

  “Good, everyone’s here,” Kayin says when he sees us. They stand in a semi-circle, and they laid a pile of items on the floor at the centre. “So, this is everything we have found after searching through this research centre. And to be honest, I don’t—and I doubt—how we can make use of these to go on. Vyswe’eyaga, you have more experience in this, so you tell us.”

  Everyone focuses on me when he says that. I shift in place slightly, reflecting on what to do. “We have found enough Ore for me to make a boat out of it, as well as Spirit crystals to power the array for a longer time.”

  “You won’t have to exhaust yourself then?” N’jobu asks, and I nod.

  “If I am being honest, I’m not a fan of having to go back there.” Sazayi says, “With all those junjus around, what tells us we won’t encounter more? And if that happens, I don’t think we will be as lucky as we were and find another shelter close by.”

  He is right. If what happened last time happens again, even the crystals will quickly drain over time.

  “Can we even tell how close we are to our destination?”

  Both Kayin and I shake our heads.

  “I think we don’t have to go by way of the water,” I say, “I accessed the arrays of the underground levels last night. The entry was barred previously, but I managed to override the lock, and… the last level should open to an underground tunnel. We could travel through there.”

  Kayin folds his arms pensively, muttering to himself. “Underground? This could work. But how do you know the lower levels are not flooded?”

  “There were no warnings from the control desk to imply so. I was able to operate the arrays without any problems. Everything should be fine...” I pause before adding, “I cannot say the same for the tunnels, though.”

  There is a long, heavy silence that follows.

  The choices before us are far from ideal. We can either go by water, sailing endlessly and risking another confrontation with sea monsters, which may lead to losing our means of transport a second time… Or we could try underground, travelling below the depths into relative unknown.

  “For all we know, there could be no path in the tunnels,” N’jobu says, “In which case we’ll have no choice but to retrace our steps and take to the sea. Or if we stumble on a hoard of junjus, we could be trapped.”

  “I don’t know… Is it strange that I had rather taken the tunnels?” Sazayi says after a moment.

  Truthfully, I would pick the same. Just for the sake of not having to climb onto an aquatic vessel… Ever. But—

  “I will also choose the tunnels.” Azikiwe declares. “I prefer it when I have a solid footing in the face of danger.” Then his eyes find mine when he adds, “And we have Vyswe’eyaga in case something complicated happens.”

  Huh?

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you.” He as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. “The floor collapsing under our feet, or over our heads, if there is a flood… You will take care of things like that if they happen.”

  I stare at him, my mouth opening and closing several times for lack of words.

  “My… I… I am not that capable—I, I mean—there is a limit to what I can do.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you utilize a plethora of sorcery arts, and more?”

  “N-not all of them!”

  He waves his hand as if it does not matter. “Semantics. Just that shield of yours is more than enough.”

  “Do I need to remind you of what happened when we were in the water? My shield collapsed in a couple of minutes, and I do not have infinite essence.”

  “But you have your ‘crystals’, don’t you? Everything should be fine then.”

  Once again, I stare at him. “Are you aware that you are basically entrusting your life into my hands?”

  He scoffs. “Don’t be dramatic, it’s nowhere near that.”

  “In hindsight, he is right.” Gamba says. Not helping, not helping at all. “So far your abilities have been indispensable to us, they have yet to let us down. And I believe everyone can agree with me that we have a measure of trust in your ability to ward us from harm, right?” And words of agreement jump around.

  Witnessing how much they trust in me, I am grateful and filled with confidence, and terribly nervous. I am reminded of Ike’s words last night; I should have more faith in myself.

  “I will do my best,” I say in a measured tone.

  “Does this mean we all agree to venture belowground?” Kayin asks, which is followed by a series of nods. “Let’s not waste time then.”